Menhattan
by parkingspaces
Summary: Nate was left confused after Jenny kissed him at his birthday party. During Constance Ivy Week, Nate unceremoniously dumps Jenny during their college visit at Columbia. Someone she meets there however, has taken a liking to her. N/J/OC
1. When In Columbia

**Summary:** Nate was left confused after Jenny kissed him at his birthday party. During Constance Ivy Week, Nate unceremoniously dumps Jenny during their college visit at Columbia. But as one door closes, another one opens. Someone she meets there however, has taken a liking to little Jenny Humphrey. Is Nate's protectiveness merely stemming from his brotherly duties? Or is it because he's marking his territory? N/J/OC

**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own Gossip Girl. If I did, the ratings would be much, much higher. Kidding.

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Rise and shine, early birds. Gossip Girl here. Isn't the morning just lovely? The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting, there's a new tweet from our her highness, Queen J: She's visiting Columbia U for Ivy week today. Time flies by so fast, it feels only yesterday that she was only Little J the freshie from Brooklyn. Now, she's an Upper East Side senior hunting for her own Ivy. But I've got word that she's ditched every single college visitation at Constance. So does this surprising appearance mean that she's got her heart set on Columbia—or maybe someone studying at Columbia? Careful S, there's a new It Girl in town.

****

11:23 am, Columbia University: Contemporary Political Theory.

There's something about this professor that Nate never liked. It's been almost an hour already and he still couldn't understand what the lecture is all about. He took a quick look around the class, seems like everyone has no problems catching up. God, is he that stupid? Nate sighed, finally giving up on his pen fiddling activity for now. The problem with this professor is that he's too verbose. Not that he finds big words intimidating. It's just that as much as he tries to catch up, his mind just floats away, you know? He tends to think about the most random things during his class. And right now? There's a certain random thing his mind keeps randomly going back to: the birthday party.

His lips formed a small smile. After catching himself, it quickly turned into a huge scowl. Finally, he groaned. He should really try to pay attention in class, only he couldn't stop thinking about last week. Not that it bothers him. Roscoe was really just too boring today.

"Hamilton!"

Nate's back had involuntarily shot up as Roscoe's voice thundered. He gradually returned to his original slouching—not to mention comfortable—position, breathing a quick sigh of relief. Roscoe's recitations are killers. And she spares no effort in putting an average student in its place. That's probably how she keeps the attention of the class: by being fucking terrifying enough for someone to desperately want to answer her question. Nate has never hated his name more than in this class. And he's pretty sure everyone feels the same way.

"_Ouais_, M_adame Roscoe?"_ A reply came, not missing a bit.

Roscoe had been known to terrorizing non-Political Science majors in his class. So when a Corporate Finance major waltzed into his class as a _free elective_, Nate knew that this poor sap is going to get freaking torched. He felt half-sympathy and half-relief, initially. Roscoe, as predicted, had a habit of daily going after Alex.

"Can you explain to the class what Lenin meant when he criticized people's subservience to spontaneity?" Nate looked at Alex as he disinterestedly waited for an answer Roscoe's question. "Since you apparently know well enough to be listening to an iPod in my class."

Nate had to take back his earlier statement. Everyone is scared of Roscoe—except this Cajun. There are times when he could swear that Alex is deliberately trying to provoke the already agitated professor.

"Am so sorry, _madame," _Alex grinned sheepishly, clearly not. He spat out an answer, almost effortlessly, with a hint of victory in his voice.

If Roscoe was anywhere akin to livid, she didn't show it—at least not to Alex. "Archibald,"

This time, it was Nate's head that shot up. It took a second before it registered that it was his name that was called out. And unlike Alex, he really isn't confident that he can give out a correct answer—or any answer at all, really. "Sir,"

"Expound on Mr. Hamilton's answer," Internally, he panicked. He really wasn't listening to Alex, in truth. As best he tried to put on a brave face that says I-have-an-answer-give-me-a-minute, Alex had probably noticed.

"The demagoguery of the masses," He supplied oh-so-helpfully, whispering as softly as he could.

Sometimes, Nate had to wonder how Alex can always seem to pull out an intelligent answer—seeing as he would not so subtly goof off in class.

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long pause, the bell rang. _Finally._

"Yo Archibald," An accented voice trailed behind him. "Wait up."

Nate turned to see Alex Hamilton leaving his friends to catch up with him. "Hamilton? What's up?"

"You came from St. Jude's, _oui_?"

"Yeah, sure." He treaded carefully. It's not that he didn't like Alex. He does, in fact, it's probably almost impossible not to like him, as long as he's not around your little sister, that is. Since Nate is an only child, he's all good with the Cajun. For some reason although, there was something constantly gnawing at him.

_Oh yeah._ Today is the last day of Ivy Week. Students from St. Jude's and Constance are supposedly coming here for a college visit. Nate suddenly stopped in his tracks. _Constance._

He suddenly felt a light, yet throbbing pain on his right arm. The French boy had tried to punch him out of his reverie. "Archibald, you listening?"

"Yeah? Sorry, what was that?" At the back of his head, Nate was still half ignoring Alex. He was partially wondering if Jenny would come visit Columbia. She probably wouldn't, Nate reasoned. She's got a whole career set at the Waldorf's atelier.

"So I was saying—" A loud _beeping _sound interrupted Alex before he could finish—or start.

Nate quickly took out his phone. It could be from Serena, and lately she has been strangely suspicious of him. He shot Alex an apologetic look, "Sorry, man. It's my girlfriend. Can you give me a minute?"

"_Mais oui_," Alex sighed in mock-exasperation. "Who am I to get between the _monsieur_ Archibald and his _fille_?"

Nate quickly forced a quick and apologetic grin at the boy before turning to take the call. It wasn't Serena. "Hey Nate!"

"Oh hey, Jenny!" Suddenly, Nate's could feel his hands sweating profusely. Coldly. Wait. Is he nervous? "Why are you calling?"

No, he's not nervous. More of, cautious. Nate treasures his relationship with Jenny, but right now, it's on thin ice. He really doesn't know how to handle Jenny's feelings for him right now. Especially when Serena's paranoia about Jenny might actually be more than just that.

"Nothing. Just wanted to tell you that I'm stopping by today." She chirped. That settles it, Jenny's coming. "Text me your break, kay?"

"Wait—Jenny!" And she hung up. Nate sighed.

He just noticed. It's actually been awhile since the last time they've spoken to each other. At that time, they were inside an elevator, on the way to Blair's place. And there wasn't much conversation—nor was there any non-awkward contact before that. Nate fought the urge to groan.

He really, _really _does not want to deal with Jenny right now.

****

2:37 PM, Columbia University. Low Steps.

"_Hey, it's Nate."_ Jenny couldn't help but role her eyes. _"I can't get to you right now, but leave a message!"_

This is just humiliating—not to mention, annoying. It's her nth time calling now. And the last. She dropped her phone not so lightly at the floor. She's been sitting on the granite steps in the middle of Columbia U for almost half an hour now.

She feels like an abandoned fish just out of the water. It's like the first day of freshman year at Constance all over again. Alone at the met steps, looking for Dan who's taken forever to arrive. Only, worse. She's getting ditched by Nate Archibald. Jenny kicked her phone in frustration. And had immediately chased after it as it fell down the steps to pick it up.

_Ugh. Great._ Jenny ducked to get a better view, her phone got lost in this sea of people. Of all the days to lose her phone, it just had to be today. The day when she doesn't know where she is, or if her _friend_ is actually coming to show her around.

She felt someone tugging at her sleeve. Finally! Nate didn't abandon her after all. Jenny quickly turned around, all smiles. "Nate!"

Her face fell suddenly. It's not Nate. She should have known. Inhaling deeply, Jenny hastily tried to be cordial. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Looking for this, _chere?"_ A guy was holding her blackberry. He was cute, Jenny mused. And tall too, probably around 6'3, considering how he's a head taller than she was. Tall. Blonde. And ridiculously handsome. Kind of like Nate. _Nate._

"Yeah. Thanks." Ignoring the sudden and blossoming anger inside her, she turned her attention to the boy who found her blackberry. Jenny smiled sheepishly at him, quickly taking her phone. "It's a good thing you found it, I didn't know what I was gonna do. I'm not from around here, you see."

"I know how you feel," He gave her a knowing look, smiling nicely at her. "So what's a _belle fille_ like you doing here? Transferring?"

_Belle fille? _Isn't that cute, another European. Jenny shook quickly shook her head. "No, I'm just here for a college orientation."

His face, as if it couldn't anymore, brightened at Jenny's admission. His face was suddenly plastered with a huge smile. "So you're from Constance?"

"Um. Yeah." Jenny quirked her eyebrows in confusion.

"Isn't this convenient?_"_ He said, still beaming at her. "I've been looking for you."

Jenny was taken aback. As charmingly cute and handsome as they come, she could never understand Europeans. Ever. She's heard ridiculous some pick up lines, here and there, but is there something she's not getting here? "Excuse me?"

"Sorry for being rude,_ chere." _ The boy, after probably noticing Jenny's discomfort around him, lowered his intensity. He held out his hand, offering a handshake. "I'm Alex. I'm one of the student volunteers for the orientation."

_That sheds light on that I guess._

"Oh. Hi, I'm Jenny." She said, suddenly feeling defeated. Jenny could settle for this, somehow. At least someone came looking for her at all. "Sorry for the trouble."

He waved her off, with a cute, throaty chuckle. "No worries. But I think we should head back."

"Sure," She replied weakly. It doesn't look like Nate is showing up, anyway. Giving one last—and hopeful—glance at the steps, Jenny begrudgingly went to follow the volunteer.

During the long walk back to the auditorium, she and Alex got to talking. It surprised her how much you can learn about a guy during a fifteen minute walk and an hour long orientation seminar.

Apparently, his name is Alexander Hamilton VI and a direct descendant of one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. That wasn't really shouldn't come as a shock, in retrospect, considering whom he was named after. And he's a member of AMP, the accredited musician's organization of Columbia University, playing the Saxophone.

Oh. And that he asked her out to lunch after the seminar.

Which, surprisingly, she eagerly said yes to. Of course, it probably helped that Alex was _really, really _funny. Half the time of the orientation was spent laughing at his stories, most of which, Jenny knew, probably weren't true.

In the beginning, the speaker would constantly clear his throat. Subtly gesturing for Alex and Jenny to pay attention. After awhile, it turned to more obvious, yet still subtle remarks here and then. Then, probably tired of all the subtlety, the speaker blatantly called them out.

"_Would Mr. Alexander Hamilton please keep it down with our guest? Thank you."_

"_Would Mr. Alexander Hamilton and company kindly leave the auditorium so as not to disturb the orientation seminar, thank you."_

"_ALEX. GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE AUDITORIUM."_

Jenny—and the rest of the visitors—laughed heartily until Alex had been forcefully escorted out of the auditorium. Meeting this little clown was actually worth getting ditched by Nate.

_There are dates you can't wait to keep, and there dates you both know you won't keep. So what happened, N? Looks like Little J got lost between your signals and found herself in foreign territory. Careful N, she might end up with a foreigner instead. We all know what happened last time. _

_XOXO_

_Gossip Girl_

****

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

So this is the first chapter, I really just had to get this out of my system in lieu of the recent episodes. While there are enough Jenny/Nate scenes to make any fangirl happy, the portrayal of Jenny is just freaking character rape. So here, you go. Tell me what you think: if I should continue, if anyone is OOC, or even if my little Alex is a Mary Sue. I'm a big girl, I can take it. XD

Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Of Messages and Men

**  
Disclaimer: **If I owned Gossip Girl, Jenny wouldn't have to try so hard to be with Nate.

**  
sort-of-disclaimer:** This is a Nate and Jenny fic, just giving Nate some competition is all. Or I should've kept that to myself and kept you at the edge of your seats? Lol. I wish.

-

**3:19 P.M. Columbia University. Library.**

Nate Archibald probably shouldn't have sat at that certain spot in the Library. For one thing, he could see everyone's business from the window. It can be really hard to concentrate on studying when he finds himself looking outside the window for about every five minutes that he stares at his book. He had to remind himself that for the past hour, he's been able to finish about six pages out of a hundred something book about the different kinds of democracies. Significant progress. At the back of his head, he silently wondered if he could get someone to write his paper for him. Too lazy to even think of doing his school work, right now—Nate had thought of about a hundred ways to justify getting paying someone to do his work. There are tons of ghostwriters who would write speeches for the most renowned speakers. His grandfather has one on payroll even. And it'd cost him just about a few what—hundred dollars? Not to mention, morally speaking, he was Chuck Bass's best friend. But suddenly, he had pictured Serena and her oh-so judging eyes. It killed each justification as it entered its head.

Just as he found his conviction to get back to studying, he found himself staring blankly outside the window yet again. Nate knew that, at best, he was just probably wasting his time. He should have probably just agreed when Hamilton asked him to help out with the seminar a few hours ago. At least he might have done something actually productive.

Another thing that he absolutely hates about this area in the library? It is too cold for anyone to get anything done. Nate Archibald had just frozen up.

'_Holy shit.'_

As if on speed, Nate rapidly rummaged through his stuff to get his cellphone. He felt like banging his head onto a wall.

13 Missed Calls. 4 Voicemails.

_  
Nate! I'm here at the Steps. Are you near?_

_Hey, where are you? Am I at the right place?_

_Nate, it's Jenny. You promised to meet up with me today. You still coming? I've been waiting for half an hour already._

_Nate! Ugh…nevermind. _

It had totally slipped his mind. He was supposed to meet Jenny a few hours ago to show her around campus. Jenny is gonna be pissed. Not even bothering to waste time fixing his stuff, Nate ran outside—despite the clear rules against it inside the library.

He reached the Low Steps. Panting. Nate looked around. He couldn't find her.

Well of course, he couldn't. She probably wandered off somewhere after she thought that he'd bailed.

Nate checked his watch. It was almost three thirty. The Columbia Orientation Seminar would finish around four. Maybe he could catch her there.

And why was he feeling so guilty anyway? It was Jenny's whole idea to meet up, and not his. Why does she even need him to show him around campus? There are more than enough volunteers to show her every nook and cranny Columbia has to offer. It's not like she's coming to study here next fall, anyway. And Jenny didn't even give him the chance to say no on the phone. Not that he would have.

He had forced himself to breathe slowly. It is not Jenny's fault.

Okay, so he's at the Davis Auditorium. It looks like everyone is just starting to come out. Awesome. Nate stretched up his neck trying to look for Jenny. Where the hell was she? He dialled her number and pressed his phone against his ear.

In the first place, why was he so insistent on finding her?

Well, it's only polite, of course. It's always better late than never. And he didn't want her to think that he ditched her. He just…well, forgot.

_And damn it, Jenny. Answer your phone._

Already getting impatient that he couldn't seem to find her, he went inside to try his luck.

"Hey, hey, dude." Nate called, seeing a familiar face. "Um. I'm looking for someone from Constance. Tall? Blonde? Really skinny?"

The other guy shook his head. "Sorry man. I was handling St. Judes."

On his periphery, he could hear a bunch of girls giggling. Ah. How nostalgic. Constance-Billard and their Nate Archibald. And then, it occurred to him.

"Hi," He began, approaching some students from Constance. What was he thinking asking the volunteers? Of course he could just ask people who _actually_ know Jenny. "You guys are from Constance, right?"

The girls stared at him for awhile, a bit starstruck that Nathaniel Archibald is actually talking to them. For real.

"Um. Excuse me?" Nate said, trying to mask his growing impatience. The more he dilly-dallies after all, the more he could miss Jenny.

"Oh!" One of the girls said, snapping out of her awe. "Uh. Yeah, sure."

"I'm looking for Jenny Humphrey," He said, not even bothering to ask if they actually know _a_ Jenny Humphrey. It's already probably a given after all. "Has any of you seen her?"

They all nodded furiously, too eager to please Nate.

"She just left," one of the girls said quickly.

Not to be outdone, another one added quickly, "We're not sure we're she is. But you can try asking Sawyer and the girls."

Before he could ask who Sawyer was, they pointed to another group of girls—somehow, dressed like Jenny. Nate quickly understood. They were probably Jenny's version of Penolope and Iz.

With a thank you before excusing himself, the girls were satisfied.

But not Nate. Even in the midst of the Jenny-look-alikes, she couldn't be found. He was already starting to get frustrated. Nate sighed. He really shouldn't have forgotten about Jenny.

"Damn it." Nate punched his keypad again. If nobody answers this call, he's just gonna have to text message an apology to Jenny. She can't say he didn't try, after all.

"Hello? Nate?" Awesome. Somebody picked up.

"Hey Eric," If Jenny wasn't with her posse, she's most probably with Eric. Ever since he came back, the two were practically inseparable. "I'm trying to look for Jenny. Are you with her?"

"No, sorry." Nate fought the extreme urge to groan in frustration. Of course, she's not with him. His luck with finding Jenny probably already ran dry when he got her out of that skeazy club. "Why?"

"No reason. Thanks, man." He was about to hang up but he heard Eric say something. "What was that?"

"I said, Jenny asked me to meet up with her at this Carleton Café place around here," Eric repeated. "Did you want to tell her something."

And without even so much as a how-do-you-do, Nate hung up.

Before heading all the way to Mudd Building, Nate decided to pick up his stuff from the library. After all, it's on the way and Jenny's probably going to stay put there for a long while. At least, long enough for a snack. While walking, Nate chuckled to himself. Jenny is one heck of a troublesome girl. He really should stop running around after her, and Serena is really starting to get jealous. And weirdly paranoid. Of course, Jenny is just a little sister to him. After all, she's his future sister-in-law, right? It's just normal that he makes an effort to look after her as much as he can, right? Right?

As made his way to his cursed spot in the library, he caught a glimpse of Hamilton outside the window. With a girl. In Constance uniform.

_Good job, dude._ Nate thought, mentally applauding Hamilton. His lips formed into a small smirk. He had to give it to the guy, two hours and he'd already found his latest squeeze. And it seems like Alex Hamilton landed himself a blonde bombshell, no less. Then, suddenly, it slowly dawned on Nate.

He froze up at the thought that Hamilton's new conquest actually looks like Jenny.

No, it's not bothering him.

That's what he had always hated about this area in the library, is all. It's just so freaking cold. 

**-  
4:06 P.M. Columbia University. Café Carleton, Mudd Building.**

Some people, in the face of an extremely uncomfortable silence, would fiddle with their phones—pretending to text, just to look busy. Jenny Humphrey? Well, she's a tad more obvious. She keeps looking at her watch to check the time. And as noticeable that behavior itself is already, it would do her some good if she actually had a watch. Slowly, she tried to take a look at her companion.

Who was staring at her the whole time. Smiling. God, does this guy ever stop smiling? Alex gave out a chuckle. Jenny just cocked her eyebrows at him in response. But really, she was kind of panicking. Kind of.

"What's so funny?" Jenny dared to ask, hoping that she hasn't weirded him out yet.

"Nothing." He said, still keeping that smile, if not growing bigger. As if he's somewhat amused at something she did. Which only made Jenny more uncomfortable than she already is. Alex winked at her, standing up. "As much fun it is to show off this boring ole' cafe to a prospective student, I think I should get _ma petit_ some _bon apetit._ Be right back, _cher_._"_

Jenny just nodded at her seat. As she watched his retreating figure, she half-breathed a sigh of relief to have been temporarily free of that situation. And the other half? She had mentally berated herself for being such acting like such a virgin. Which she technically was. But that wasn't the point. She's better than that. This is so high school. Jenny had to roll her eyes. Although technically, yes, she still is in highschool. She's not some lovesick character in some teeny bopper. But yet again, that wasn't the point. She's Jenny Humphrey, Queen of the Upper East Side. She shouldn't be nervous at all. It's just a boy.

_You've dated Nate Archibald. You've dated Damien Daalgard. This is just another pretty boy, okay?_

Well, in her defense, she is out with a college guy after all. And Alex? He's not so bad. There's something quite refreshing about him—liberating, even. Although not necessarily an inbred, he's not the typical UES boy with a stick in his ass all the time. He's actually someone Jenny could see herself hanging out with even if not necessarily being with. But then again, it might just be because she has developed a weakness for European guys. She had to remind herself that she could be wrong about him still. After all, she's known him for what, two—three hours?

But from what she's learned, Jenny could honestly say: so far, so good. Because Alex is more of a musician, as opposed to an athlete. He plays basketball, not soccer—or football as he would call it. He cuts his hair short. Jenny's mouth curved into a soft smile. Short—a bit tousled, a bit edgy; not all smooth and polished: no man bangs, no slick backs. His built is just right. Toned, albeit a bit lanky; as opposed to being quite bulky. Most importantly, something about Alex Hamilton seems human. There's this atmosphere around him that's, how should Jenny say it, approachable. He doesn't look like the type whose out to prove his picture-perfect image, or someone who's out to uphold his family name. And for once, this guy doesn't seem to have daddy-issues. For all intents and purposes, he's different.

_Different from who?_

As she saw Alex carrying a tray of sandwiches and fries, Jenny shrugged off all thoughts. About what or whom, she would rather not admit. After all, she's done. That's what she said during his birthday. And today, she was only reminded that that's how it's supposed to be.

"Here you go, Jenny," Alex said, handing her a sandwich. Or a hundred. At Jenny's confused look, he grinned. "_Desole, beb_. I forgot to ask what you wanted so I just bought one of each."

Before she knew it, Jenny caught herself smiling at him. He's a bit of a show-off, isn't he? "Okay? So I'm going to have to eat everything because you were too lazy to ask?"

"_Non!"_ Jenny was right. This boy does not know how to not smile. But she had to admit, it's quite charming. "…unless, of course, you want to."

"You're trying to fatten me up, aren't you?" She said, half-joking. Blair had told her once that she was lucky, she could eat anything she wants and not gain weight. It was true. But she couldn't possibly eat this much.

"_Oui, _I'll throw you in an oven after._" _He said, chuckling in response. "But no pressure, _cher._ Just finish what you want."

Jenny began to eat, the air of awkwardness seeming to have returned after the dead end in their conversation. Silently, she wondered where Eric was. She smiled wryly, he's probably texting with his new _boyfriend _anyway. Yet another guy who had forgotten her.

"So," Alex began, attempting to strike a conversation. At least this one is still making an effort, Jenny had mused lightly.

"So…"

And utterly failing in his attempt.

"So," He repeated. This boy does not give up, doesn't he? "What _were_ you doing at the steps when I found you?"

Her smile quickly faded. Of all the icebreakers Alex could have used, he just had to use that one. "Oh. Nothing really."

For the first time in the two to three hours they knew each other, Alex Hamilton deliberately kept quiet. For some reason, Jenny felt bad. While it was good that he knew when not to tread on something, she hadn't wanted to dim their conversation either. She sighed. At any case, it's fine. The whole thing shouldn't have bothered her at all, anyway. "I was waiting for a friend. He's a student here."

"Oh. What's his name?" He said, sounding quite interested. "May be I know the _hombre."_

And for some reason as well, it didn't sting Jenny on the chest as hard as she thought it would've. "Nate Archibald."

"_Mais ouias!"_ Alex exclaimed. To be honest, Jenny was a bit surprised. Is there no end to the Nate Archibald popularity? He really does know everyone. Or rather, everyone really knows him. "I was just talking to him this morning,"

"Oh," was all Jenny could say. What else could she say?

After a few healthy seconds of self pity, Jenny noticed that his face fell. Apparently, Alex has the capacity to not smile—even just for a little while. And then it was back again, although not as seemingly natural as before. Jenny could tell that he was probably feeling a bit disappointed. "So what's a smart pup like him doing leaving his _petite amie_ all alone like that?"

This was one of the few times that Jenny regretted skipping her classes so much—especially French. "_Petite amie?"_

"Well, aren't you his _beau?_" Alex asked, not that it would matter.

Realization dawned on Jenny. She swiftly shook her head. _I wish I was._ "Oh my God, no!"

"_Ah, bon?"_ Alex replied, a little too happy. "But weren't you the one on the phone with him this morning?"

"Earlier?" Jenny said, confused. Well, she did call Nate after his PoliSci class.

"_Laisse beton_. I was going to ask _monseiur _Archibald to help out with the seminar, but I wasn't able to since his _belle_ called." He explained. Jenny fought the urge to bite back at Alex, she merely stopped herself in the nick of time.

_If he couldn't show student around, what more if it's the whole senior batch?_

"His girlfriend called?" Jenny asked, trying to clarify. So that's it. He was busy with Serena, that's why he ditched. She knew she shouldn't feel disappointed—Serena _is_ his girlfriend after all. But come on, Nate should've at least called to cancel.

"So," He began once more. "How are you likin' your sandwich, _beb?"_

"You mean, _sandwiches._" Jenny appreciated the fact that Alex had somehow sensed that she didn't want an answer. And that he tried to change the topic. But being called 'babe'—no matter what language—not so much. "They're _all_ fine. Thanks."

At the corner of her eye, she saw someone familiar enter the café, looking a little lost. _Well, it's about time._ "Although, it's kind of a bit to much for me to finish by myself. I asked a friend to come, do you mind?"

"Sure. Why not?" And again with that charming smile. "As long as it's not a _homme._"

Jenny forced a short chuckle. This boy is trying to flirt with her? Oh, two can play at that game. "You're a big boy. You can share."

Eric approached their table a little cautiously. He was eyeing her, as if trying to communicate: _Who is that?_

She merely glanced at him, barely meeting his eyes. Although they were just merely stepbrother-stepsister kind of siblings, Eric and Jenny had the whole twin telepathy down the dot. It was like, they were meant to be siblings. So when Jenny gave him that split-second-doe-eyed look, the message was well received. Jenny was gloating about the cute date she scored.

"Alex, this is my friend, Eric." Jenny grinned as she gestured towards her stepbrother and then proceeding to reverse the motion. "Eric, this is Alex."

"Hi." Eric smiled at him, quickly giving Jenny an approving glance. "Nice to meet you."

Alex stood up to shake his hand, as if not standing up meant that he was backing down as a guy. Jenny merely smiled haughtily at Eric when she caught Alex trying to size up the young Van der Woodsen. "Pleasure's mine."

'_Ow' _ he mouthed to Jenny. Apparently, the Saxophone is good for finger exercises. Probably the reason why he had accidentally shook Eric's hand a tad too tightly.

Jenny couldn't help but feel flattered—although she knew it was most probably eighty percent male ego.

Eric, rather than get intimidated at being stared down by this very tall man, just laughed him off. "I'm her brother."

With that, Jenny noticed that Alex had seemed to relax. Guys are too predictable. "_Mais ouais!_ Nice to meet you, _petit frere!"_

Only, if Nate wasn't. She already knew that Nate probably really didn't want to show her around. She already knew that even if she kissed him, he would pull away. She already knew that even if she tried, and no matter how much she tried: Nate would always choose Serena. But she clung to that maybe. That tiny, miniscule, one-in-a-million maybe. That maybe, he could return even just a small portion of her affections.

"Jenny?" She heard Eric call him, snapping her out of her reverie. It seems that she got lost in her thoughts. Again. It's a habit that she should really stop. Not only is it rude, it's driving her absolutely crazy.

"Yeah?"

"I said," Eric sighed at having to repeat himself. "I asked you why I couldn't reach your cell, earlier. I got lost."

"Oh." She smiled sheepishly, instinctively getting her phone from her bag. "Holy shit."

"Something the matter, _beb?_"

Jenny didn't answer. Nate had left her four voice messages.

__

Hey, it's Nate. You're at Carleton right? Stay put. I'm coming to get you.

-

_In stories and fairytales, princesses patiently wait centuries in order for their knights to arrive. But what happens when she's rescued by the wrong knight? Shouldn't have taken your sweet time, N. It looks like first come first serve when it comes to our Queen J. And as much as I'd hate to go Mother Goose on you, Little J, but didn't anyone tell you? Never run away with strangers. You never know when your Knight in Shining Armor you've come to love turns into a lowly Fool in A Tin Can._

_Xoxo,_

_Gossip Girl_

-

**Author's Note: **I'm going to be a really bad writer here, I'm publishing without proofreading. I'm kinda too lazy—and a tad scared—to read it again. So yeah. I'm gonna look for a Beta-reader who's unlike me. Yay. And I really don't know what Columbia University looks like. I tried Googling the locations as best as I can. So yeah.

To all who reviewed: Thank you so muuuch. And yes, we do need a distraction from what they're doing to NJ. :'c

In other news, _From__Spoiler TV__: __CASTING CALL__-_

_[CAMERON] Early 20s.. male. Open ethnicity, upscale, attractive. A cute, unpretentious student at Columbia University. Two scenes, nine lines. Possible Recurring. /endquote  
_

Imma go out here and pretend that my little Alex is turning canon. XD


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